Strawberry spoon bread

Every spring when the wildflowers bloom, Texans will say thank you to Mrs. Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, the former first lady and native Texan who made it her life’s work to protect and preserve native plants in their natural habitat. But besides her commitment to keeping Texas and America beautiful, Mrs. Johnson was also known as a gracious hostess who entertained with taste and ease.

When people come over for dinner, it’s not unusual if you like a dish to ask for the recipe, and I’ve heard that Mrs. Johnson was always quick to give friends her family’s recipes, such as her method for making spoon bread.

If you’re not familiar with spoon bread, it’s an old American cornmeal-based baked pudding that’s dense, custardy and smooth, much like bread pudding. While it’s usually associated with the South, it’s been documented in early American cookbooks from New England going back to the early 1800s. Spoon bread is a simple dish, made with cornmeal, milk, eggs and a bit of baking powder. Traditionally, it’s served as a savory side that pairs well with hearty meat dishes or a bowl of beans. But it’s also like a thick bowl of hot cereal before you pour on some milk, which makes it good at breakfast, too. Matter of fact, I read that the Mrs. Johnson preferred to serve it in the morning along with homemade venison sausage.

Now, while it’s typically a savory dish, since strawberries are now in season (at least in Texas—local ones should hopefully arrive in New York City soon), I took Mrs. Johnson’s recipe and added a bit of sugar and strawberries to make a sweet dish instead. And when topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a handful of more strawberries, you have a springtime dessert that, as the name implies, is best eaten with a spoon.

If you’re a fan of cobblers, this dish is for you. While the spoon bread is smooth rather than flaky, as it’s made with eggs and cornmeal rather than flour and fat, the interplay of cornmeal with the berries is sweet and satisfying. And in case you’re wondering, this strawberry spoon bread keeps for a day or so in the refrigerator. While it’s best served warm I’ve been known to dip my spoon into it cold, as well.

So even though she’s no longer with us, if you try this be sure to say thank you to Mrs. Lady Bird Johnson for all the beauty she gave us, along with her recipes for wonderful Texan food.

Instructions

Sprinkle the strawberries with 1/4 cup of sugar, and leave at room temperature for an hour or until juicy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place a metal bowl in the freezer. In a large cast-iron skillet, on medium heat, stir together 2 cups of milk and the cornmeal and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining milk and butter. Once the butter has melted, stir in the eggs, baking powder, salt and remaining sugar. Drain the juice from half the berries (reserving the juice by pouring it back into the remaining berries) and stir the strawberries into the spoon bread batter.

Place the skillet into the oven and bake uncovered for 35 minutes or until the bread is set and golden brown. While it cools, whip the heavy cream in the chilled metal bowl with a whisk, eggbeater or electric mixer. Once it’s tripled in size and soft peaks have formed, stir in the honey or sorghum syrup.

Serve the spoon bread warm topped with the remaining strawberries and whipped cream.

I'm not familiar with spoonbread and am having trouble imagining cornmeal and strawberries together, but I am intrigued by the combination! Will try this soon for a weekend breakfast.Also can I just say I love the little bits of history, food-related or otherwise, that you give in all your posts? Makes your writing such a pleasure to read!

I was just in Pleasanton, San Antonio and Lytle last month visiting family, after years of being away. Wildflowers were blooming and the Blue Bonnets were especially striking. Strawberries are at the roadside stands and farmers markets here in North Carolina, so am going to try this recipe and think of country roads off the 281…Elizabeth

This sounds wonderful, I do wish you would put a print key for your recipes. I would have a whole book full of them. Moved from Texas 8 yrs ago to Nashville to retire. Love to cook so thanks for old and new goodies.

I live not far from Karnack, TX, LadyBird Johnson's childhood home. a little bit from there is Jefferson, TX, she went to high school. The Jefferson Hotel always–and I mean ALWAYS–kept her suite reserved, just in case. Every spring I teach my students about her contribution to our great state. Seems rather fitting to make her spoonbread! Love your blog!

Native Texan (60+ years) and for the first time drove through Boerne, Kendalia, Sisterdale to 281. Spectacular! The bluebonnets have gone to seed but purple verbena were still out and the hills were amazingly green. It is a shame that so many folks judge Texas after only visiting Dallas or Houston!

I'm in a cooking club and since my dinner this season happened to be scheduled on April 21st (San Jacinto Day for those non-Texans) I decided to have a Texas themed dinner. I got your cookbook for Christmas so I chose recipes from it. We had Coffee Chipotle Brisket & BBQ Sauce, Cilantro Pesto Green Beans, Tomato Cobbler and Fried Pies, also the black bean dip. Everyone just raved about how good everything was. Thank you so much.

I made this yesterday morning for breakfast, and it was everything I could do to not eat the entire thing straight out of the pan! Soooo delicious! Keep up the great work on this site. I love your recipes, and a few have become staples in my cooking.

Yum. I have my mom's 1961 Dallas Hadassah cookbook. Lady Bird, then the Second Lady kindly submitted recipes for nachos and chile con carne. Letitia Baldridge submitted a recipe on behalf of Jackie Kennedy. There are also a couple of recipes from Lillian Zapruder. Spooky.

I made this for an outdoor dinner party on Friday night using local strawberries from my CSA. It was SO easy and a huge hit! I can't wait to try it with blueberries (and maybe a hint of lemon zest) later in the spring/summer.

I bought my first jalapeno pepper last week to make Austin Black Beans from your cookbook. Wow. As a native Florida girl, I make Cuban black beans. But those Austin Black Beans – WOWsa. So last Sunday I bought FOUR jalapeno peppers – do you think there's a trend here? I'm becoming a big fan of big Texas.

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